Exposed Affections

by Rene Folsom

  The woman twirled her fingers in her frizzy red hair and smiled sweetly as apologies spewed out of her mouth. She wore way too much lipstick and even had some smudged onto her front teeth. I cringed at the sight and wished she would just hurry and give me my credentials so I could be on my way.

  “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Stone, but we are extremely backed up and your identification card won’t be ready until tomorrow afternoon,” she said, while batting her mascara-caked eyes. “If you give me your cell number, I would be more than happy to personally give you a call as soon as it is available.”

  Yeah, I’m sure you would.

  “No. That won’t be necessary. I will just come back tomorrow to pick it up. In the meantime, what am I supposed to do about parking?” I scowled. I really wasn’t in the mood to play her games.

  “Uh, well, there is plenty of parking around the school. I’m sure you’ll be able to find something near your building…” she said sweetly with a flick of her wrist, as if to gesture I could fabricate a parking spot out of thin air.

  “If I remember correctly, parking is a fight-for-your-life around here without a faculty decal. At least, it was when I visited Mr. Barnes last week.”

  “Again, I’m very sorry. I wish I had better news. But, I just don’t have the decal or the ID ready yet,” she said with a kicked-puppy look on her face.

  “Damn. I’m just glad Mr. Barnes was able to provide me with my keys, otherwise I’d be lucky to even get into the classroom,” I said with a snarl, slightly raising my voice as I became more and more agitated.

  I didn’t even let the woman respond to my tirade. Instead, I turned on my heel and brusquely walked out of her office, almost running over a freckle-faced file clerk on the way through the doors. I apologized to the young girl for my clumsiness and hightailed it to my car.

  If I had to fight for parking, I’d better get a move on. My car was parked in temporary visitor parking at the moment, which had a thirty-minute time limit. Unfortunately, it took me twenty minutes just to get in to see Red.

  Climbing into my Miata, I turned up the volume and made my way to the back of the school. I wanted to try to park in the lot closest to the classroom, but I had a feeling it was going to be a challenge.

  Moving my head to the beat of Muse, I quickly maneuvered around the lot and was surprised when I came along someone backing out of a spot.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” I said to myself in astonishment. I couldn’t believe I managed to get a spot so quickly. I thought for sure I would end up being late for class because of Red’s screw-up.

  I rolled my eyes at the memory of her futile attempts to flirt after she botched my first morning. Unfortunately for her, I held grudges for an extremely long time.

  As soon as the VW Bug pulled away, I turned into the spot. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a white Pontiac’s blinker and cursed under my breath.

  Damn. I really hoped I didn’t just poach a spot from an unsuspecting student.

  Ahh, oh well. I definitely couldn’t afford to be late. The students would never respect a professor that waltzed into the classroom tardy on his first day.

  Elated I would be on time, I quickly jumped out of my car, slung my camera over my head, and began to haul ass.

  “Hey, what the hell? You just took the spot I was waiting for!” I heard a voice yell from behind me.

  I almost didn’t turn around. Even though I felt really bad, I knew I had to do it. If it weren’t my first day, I would have gladly given up the spot to someone who was clearly waiting before me. But, today, I just couldn’t be Mr. Nice Guy.

  To hopefully placate the person I just pissed off, I turned and gave my most endearing smile I could manage while still walking backwards in the direction of the classroom. As soon as I saw her, regret over my actions took hold and strangled me. I had to quickly turn my back and shut my eyes before I lost my breath.

  Damn, she was so beautiful. Her long, blonde hair flowed over her shoulder as she leaned out of her window and demanded an explanation for my inconsiderate actions. I felt like such a dillhole.

  As I continued toward the classroom, I heard her mumble something and caught just the last few words “… piece of shit!”

  I smiled at her little fit. Even though I felt bad for snagging the parking spot from her, and I would love nothing more than to go to her and beg for her forgiveness, her anger was cute. A woman with strength to stand up for herself was always sexy in my eyes.

  Sexy? All I saw was a glimpse of her through a car window. I shook my head to avoid letting my imagination wander, but it didn’t matter. The view of her cleavage as she leaned over the side of the car kept popping up in my mind.

  I couldn’t help but turn around so I could get a look at her again. She was still sitting in the center of the lane about three rows away from where I stood on the sidewalk. I wanted her to look at me. I wanted to see her face, see her expression.

  Even though I already locked my car, I decided to press the button a few more times and make it chirp, hoping the sound would bring her attention toward me.

  She jumped in her seat and quickly darted her gaze in my direction.

  “Wow,” I whispered. She was breathtaking, even when she wore a fierce scowl on her face. Wishing I had time to go over to her, introduce myself, and even sweet-talk her into forgiving me, I just stood there, dumbstruck.

  I felt uncomfortable with the fact that some woman yelling at me from a car window had this kind of effect on me. I needed to just walk on and forget about her. I couldn’t be late and if I stood and stared at her any longer, I was going to give in to my Neanderthal tendencies and approach her.

  Quickly walking behind one of the buildings, I peeked around the corner in time to see her bang her fists against her steering wheel hard and then rub at them like she hurt herself during her tizzy.

  “Aww, man. Now I’ve caused her physical pain. God, I’m going to hell,” I muttered to myself.

  Feeling a bit awkward about hiding behind a building and talking to myself, I decided to get my shit together and head to the classroom.

  On my way, I couldn’t help but picture the beautiful woman in my mind, over and over. It made me thankful I had a photographic memory. I just wished I would have met her under different circumstances and on better terms.

  As I walked up to the classroom, mere minutes before class was about to start, I saw a group of students mingling and talking in front of the door. I knew this advanced group of students would be prompt and responsible.

  As everyone filed in, I settled my things in my office and took out the roll book. There were supposed to be fourteen people in this class, but only thirteen sat around the large lab tables.

  With a twinge of guilt, I suddenly had a bad feeling about my stunning girl from the parking lot.

  I quickly introduced myself to the class and explained that I would like to take roll before beginning our lengthy introductions.

  The only student missing was a Ms. Juliana Petersen. I vaguely remember Mr. Barnes talking about Ms. Petersen, but I tried not to make any determinations from his opinion of her. I wanted to get to know each student individually and make my own assessments of them.

  If I had to stress about getting to class on time, I expected my students to feel the pressure as well. So when Ms. Petersen tried to sneak her way into class almost ten minutes late, I was going to make her regret her tardiness.

  Just as I was about to open my mouth, I saw her flush and look down at the floor before heading to her seat. The girl stunned me silent, like a kick in the gut. It was the same girl from the parking lot.

  She was… breathtaking. Beautiful golden curls framed her face and shoulders, spiraling down her back in long, luscious, silky locks. The light coming from the window behind her cast a beautiful aura around her hair, making it look as if she were wearing a halo.

  My voice caught in my throat as I almost muttered the words my Angel aloud. But I quickly realized I needed to compo
se myself before I had physical evidence of my arousal to this exquisite creature.

  Even her body was captivating. Under her cute white hoodie with rainbow accents on the sleeves, she wore a green tank top that molded to every curvature. Her breasts were perfect, large, but definitely proportional to the rest of her scrumptious body. She wore sleek hip-hugger jeans that had a worn, tattered look to them with a brown belt that brought even more attention to her shapely hips. The jeans were tight on her hips and thighs, flaring loosely below her knee.

  What I felt for her was beyond words. Initially, I felt regret… regret because I knew I was the one who made her late. Even though I wanted to make my own assessments of each student, I was aware from Mr. Barnes’ description of her she was not the type to be late for anything. She took her work very seriously.

  Then I felt a weird sense of need. I needed to pay attention to her, get to know her, be next to her, touch her, make her feel like the Angel she resembled. My Angel.

  This is insane.

  I rubbed my face and tried to quickly compose myself. Goddamn. I couldn’t lose it in front of the entire class over some woman on the first fucking day—all because she put me in my place when I was so clearly a douche who stole her parking spot.

  Compose yourself, Stone.

  I did what any man in my position would do, I smiled and politely reprimanded her, just so I could see that beautiful blush cross her face again and hope to hear her angelic voice.

  “Thank you for joining us, Ms. Petersen. Since you are now ten minutes tardy, I will need to see you after class,” I said with a smile on my face. I was happy with myself for thinking quickly. Now I had a viable excuse to spend more time with her after the rest of the students left.

  Right when I spoke her name, she looked up at me in utter shock. Wide, beautiful green eyes stared at me, burrowing under my skin and delving into my soul. My breath hitched at the clear surprise in her expression and the enticing way she held her lips open ever so slightly.

  Chapter 2

  “You make me more nervous than a fly caught in a spider’s web.”

  She looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights and then proceeded to nibble on her luscious lip.

  Oh, God. What I wouldn’t give to sink my teeth into that lip.

  Just as I thought she could see every secret my heart bore with her innocent, wide stare, her eyes formed venomous-looking slits so full of anger they would likely start a fire over my skin.

  She quietly nodded at my request, blinked away her heated glare, and took her seat. She haphazardly placed an unorganized stack of prints on the table and slumped her shoulders in obvious defeat.

  The Angel in front of me crossed her arms under her chest, which caused her perfect breasts to plump up more. The curves peeked over the top of her tank and her creamy skin gleamed in the florescent lights. Supple and soft.

  My body hummed and the sheer need to touch her, comfort her, began to take over my thoughts. I had to look away and speak to the class quickly before I did something that would ruin my career prior to it even beginning.

  Attempting to change the subject, I repeated what I already said to the class before her entrance. But I still couldn’t stop looking at her. I kept an eye on her with sideways glances as she lowered her head and fixed her gaze to the disarray of prints in front of her.

  Odd. The way Mr. Barnes talked about her told me she was not only diligent in her work, but also extremely organized and well-mannered. So, why would all her prints have been haphazardly cluttered instead of neatly organized in the portfolios she clearly had?

  Knowing she was Mr. Barnes’ star pupil and only assuming she probably had an attachment to the old coot, I decided to express my condolences for the reason behind his sudden departure. I was definitely being sincere in expressing my apologies to all these sad faces before me. My dad passed suddenly about a year ago, and I saw first hand how devastating losing a loved one could be on the family and friends. I am sure students would probably feel some measure of pain over losing their teacher, especially the advanced classes like this one that have now spent two or more years with the man as their mentor.

  Regardless of how sincere my words were, I knew deep down I was saying them for her benefit alone. At the mention of her former teacher’s name, I saw the pain and sadness in her eyes. What I didn’t see was surprise. She had knowledge and understanding etched across her face.

  According to Barnes, he told this class Friday about his leaving and kept it very brief. He didn’t even tell them the type or severity of his cancer. This told me that she knew long before the rest of her classmates. I could tell she knew for quite a while, and she must have had to watch as her friend and mentor suffered. This realization gave me a whole new appreciation for the Angel sitting in front of me.

  I couldn’t help myself. I had to be close to her.

  Thankfully, there was an empty space next to her and my legs began carrying me toward her before my mind could catch up. Grabbing a stool from the side of the room, I tried to think quick and come up with a reason for me to be sitting at the table with the rest of the students—with her.

  “Now that I have introduced myself, I would like to get to know all of you. Even though I’ve already called roll, I would still like you to introduce yourself starting with your name, your major, and your preference of subject, film, and medium. We’ll start over here and go around the table.” I gestured to my left. Julia sat on my right, and I could tell I made her nervous.

  Oh, Angel. If only you knew how nervous you made me too.

  I was barely listening to each student as they droned on. Her presence next to me seemed to affect me on a very vulnerable level. I tried to keep my hands to myself. My leg bounced with impatience, and I was eager to hear her voice.

  Even though I wanted the students to hurry along so I would finally have the chance to hear her speak, I also wanted them to take their time because I wanted to continue sitting next to her, smelling her beautiful sweet scent.

  I knew that perfume. What a surprise to smell her wearing Dream Angels, by Victoria’s Secret. A perfect scent for an Angel of mine.

  As I shifted to continue my pseudo-listening stance, I noticed her lean back as if she wanted to get out of my way. As an automatic reaction to her movement, I braced her back with my hand, letting her know she can stay just where she was… that I wanted her to stay just where she was so I had a reason to stare at her beautiful face.

  Touching her caused a shock to reverberate through my arm and up into my body. I was seriously going to lose my mind with just a mere touch, which was not common for me. I’d never been so instantly overwhelmed by a woman like this before. I felt her shiver, and I knew she felt it too. Such an odd and exhilarating sensation surged through me. I wanted to keep touching her, holding her. But I knew how inappropriate it would be, especially in front of the other students. So, I hesitantly moved my hand away.

  To control my shaking, I placed my palms flat on the table in front of me. She glanced down at my hand and quickly looked into my eyes before turning her gaze to the student talking next to her.

  Yes, Angel. You do this to me. You make me more nervous than a fly caught in a spider’s web.

  Yeah, not only were my hands shaking, but my palms were a clammy mess too. I was likely going to cause sweaty handprints to be permanently embedded into the black top.

  Fair skin and blonde curls assaulted my thoughts as the older student next to her droned on. She wore a perfect amount of makeup. Just enough to accent her stunning features, but not too much as to overpower her lovely attributes. Vibrant, glowing eyes kept glancing back at me. Lively, green irises with golden flecks made her eyes the most unique shade.

  An Angelic voice sucked me back into my body. When she opened her mouth, the most beautiful sound poured out of her like smooth, sweet nectar.

  “My name is Julia Petersen. I am majoring in fine arts with a focus on sculpture. I personally enjoy photographing blac
k and white infrared landscapes on cotton rag, but occasionally enjoy the challenge of shooting infrared portraits in the studio as well,” she explained with a confident smile that quickly dissipated once she was done speaking.

  As soon as I heard her voice, my heart started to melt, dripping down my body into puddles of honey. What an angelic voice. She looked straight into my eyes and spoke confidently. As she finished her introduction, she bowed her head and looked into her lap, causing my gaze to follow down to her fingers knotted together so tight her knuckles were white.

  There was no reason for her to be so nervous with the eloquent way she spoke to my heart.

  Her voice floating over my ears caused chill bumps to form all over my skin. I wanted to hear her speak more, so I had to come up with a question—and quick. Class was almost over.

  She looked up at me apprehensively, as if to ask me for approval. Boy, she had no idea how much I approved of her.

  Forcing my voice to work without cracking like an adolescent boy, I began asking her why she enjoyed working with infrared. It was an odd preference because of its complexity, but maybe that was why she liked it. I immediately became seductive as I asked her, “Is it the challenge you enjoy, Juliana?” Purposefully, my question dripped of suggestive ardor.

  Her full name rolled off my lips and caused my cock to twitch in my pants. I didn’t know what the hell was happening, but this girl clearly undid me.

  Shit. I won’t be able to stand for a week after this.

  As soon as she began to answer my inappropriate question, the class stirred and brought me out of my reverie. But she didn’t move. Did she feel the same electric pull I’d been suffering from for the past hour?

  God, I needed to figure out a way to make her stay. Just as I started racking my brain with ideas on how to make this gorgeous creature stay with me, I remembered I already told her to stay after class for her tardiness. It made me feel like a total dick for calling her out when it was clearly my fault, but any excuse to make her stay near was worth it.